Adam Strange: war hero - or war criminal? On a tour promoting his autobiography, Adam is confronted with questions about his past - questions he doesn’t have answers to. So begins his journey towards the truth. A Strange adventure… with a Terrific companion.
The creative team behind Mister Miracle, Tom King and Mitch Gerads, reunite, this time with artist Evan “Doc” Shaner, for a new maxi-series on another relatively obscure DC character: Adam Strange. And, like the first issue of Mister Miracle, Strange Adventures #1 is… fine.
The premise doesn’t really grab me and I’ve never been drawn to the outdated, corny even, character of Adam Strange. I don’t really know much about him so I don’t know why he can’t seem to remember his own past - is amnesia part of his schtick? And why is he so popular on Earth when his supposed war heroics took place on Rann with no consequences to the people of Earth?
That said, this is by no means a badly put-together comic. Tom King knows how to write ‘em well. The structure is solid, if a bit repetitive at times, and parts of it were interesting like the murder. I’ve never really loved Gerads’ realistic art so I’m glad to have Doc Shaner’s art alternating throughout - Gerads draws the present-day storyline, Shaner draws the wartime flashbacks. Shaner’s art is so, so pretty - much more cartoony but the clean-line style looks how you’d want a superhero comic to look. Maybe it’s made all the better for being contrasted by Gerads’ art?
I’m not totally sold on the series yet - the story so far doesn’t totally appeal and I’m not a fan of the title character or the one hinted at on the final page. But hey, Tom King at least tells different and challenging new types of stories with these odd characters which I do appreciate so I’m willing to give the title a chance. And at twelve issues there’s bound to be some fun and unusual twists along the way.
Unless you’re a King fanboy, Strange Adventures #1 isn’t going to knock your socks off but it’s not a bad start to a potentially-intriguing story.
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